This week, we looked into the nine areas of passion for developing wonderings and questions related to action research. Those areas include:
1. Staff Development
2. Curriculum Development
3. Individual Teacher(s)
4. Individual Student(s)
5. School culture/community
6. Leadership
7. Management
8. School performance
9. Social justice
While reading about these topics, I realized that teachers and schools use action research every day. Do we refer to these things are action research? Not usually; however, regardless of what we call it, it's still action research. Looking at topics 1 - 8, I'm sure every teacher could easily give you examples of trainings or meetings in which they talked about, shared, or were taught how to improve in these areas.
The area that stood out for me was "social justice." Inquiry about social justice can come by exploring questions of race, class, gender, or ability. Schools everywhere are educating their teachers about racial sensitivities and poverty. We are now more knowledgeable than ever about cultural backgrounds, rituals, and celebrations. Unfortunately, teachers aren't being taught how to help at-risk groups overcome common obstacles or how help them learn to succeed in life. We constantly hear, "School is the only stable environment for these children" but what can be done to help these students maintain and retain this stability outside of school?
My question is, "Where's the justice for these students?" Understanding where they come from isn't enough. As educators, we must find ways to help them beyond the classroom. Any ideas?
I believe the key to ending some of the social injustices in education, and furthermore in society, relies on doing that little bit extra. In the educational setting, we all know that the final bell rings at 3 (or perhaps another time for your school), but that does not mean your work is finished. The time surrounding the school day is many times more important than anything you can accomplish in the classroom! Attend that game, or sit on the bench outside with a student while they wait for their ride. This means more to a student than showing them how to write a research paper. We're technically not on the clock anymore, but that's when you'll find out what teachers are actually conducting action research in the area of social injustice!
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